It is possible to eradicate malaria

Sir: It was instituted in 2007 by World Health Organization (WHO). World Malaria Day 2023’s theme is ‘Time to deliver zero malaria: invest, innovate, implement.’ Malaria is an acute febrile illness transmitted through bites of infected female Anopheles Mosquitoes. Plasmodium Falciparum is the notorious specie of parasite causing malaria.

Malaria usually affects people in the subtropical and tropical regions. It is worse during rainy season with infants, children under five years of age, immune-compromised individuals e.g. Human Immunodeficiency Virus/ Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) patients, pregnant women and travellers to endemic areas at highest risk of developing the severe form of the disease.

The symptoms of malaria range from mild to severe. Mild symptoms include fever, headache, weakness, and chills. Severe symptoms may lead to multi-organ failure in adults with cerebral malaria and anaemia in children. People in endemic areas with partial immunity show no symptom.

Malaria can be detected using rapid diagnostic tests but the gold standard is the thick and thin blood films. Treatment of malaria is effective especially when commenced early. Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACT) are the mainstay of treatment.

Malaria can be prevented at the personal level, community level and government level. At the personal level, use of insecticide-treated mosquito net (ITN), wearing long sleeves and pants, mosquito repellent and chemoprophylaxis are encouraged.

At the community level, drainage of stagnant water and sewages, clearing of bushes around where people live, covering water storage containers are recommended.

Poverty breeds ignorance, hence government is urged to put measures in place to eradicate poverty, improve standard of living whilst providing quality education and primary health care with tools and resources, especially in the rural areas.
Dr. Elina Ugwu.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2021 recommended the use of RTS, S vaccine, a recombinant protein-based malaria vaccine for children living in areas with moderate and high transmission of malaria. It is estimated that 1.5 million children have received this vaccine in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi and it has been noticed that hospitalisations and child deaths have decreased.

Also in 2021, WHO noted that the threat of malaria which is highest in sub-Saharan Africa accounted for nearly half of all malaria deaths worldwide with Nigeria (26.6 per cent) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (12.6 per cent) leading other countries.

WHO recommends urgent actions to be taken globally to surmount the current challenges, improve diagnostic techniques and address antimalarial resistance in order to reduce global malaria case incidence and malaria mortality rate by 90 per cent or more by year 2030.

It is possible to deliver zero malaria worldwide but all hands must be on deck to achieve it.